[Live Review + Photography] Epica – Live in Hong Kong

Sleek, powerful, elegant – three words to summarise Epica’s debut concert in Hong Kong. The band have toured around Southeast Asia in the past years but never made a stop in our city. And finally, the band is here for the first time on March 23.

Opening with “Originem” as intro, Epica’s gentleman first step onto the stage to accept cheering from the crowd. But of course, you know everyone is the room is waiting for Simone Simons the metal goddess to descend. The band kick off the show officially with their 2014 release “The Second Stone” and “The Essence of Silence”.

The sixtet look extremely excited to receive such warm welcomes and fill the stage fully with their irresistible energy. They offer everything you expect to see – killer solo, duo shredding, trio crossover, exquisite instruments, heart-warming smiles, intimate integration, flawless vocals, etc. Your eyes simply do not know where and why to look at, because very second, there are something not to be missed!

Having too many musicians playing on stage may sometimes cause problem of overwhelming the vocal parts. And thank god it does’t cause a problem in this concert – the smooth classical-inspired vocal by Simone Simons and beasty, death growls by Mark Jansen sound like angle and devil raging in your head. The sonic layerings project a visual imagery of a Middle Earth battlefield.

The setlist has no shortage of Epica’s recent works such as “Chemical Insomnia” and “Unchained Utopia” to classics from hits like “Sensorium“ and of course, the metal anthem “Cry For The Moon”, which extends with an incredible drum solo in live, off their critically-acclaimed album The Phantom Agony.

Epica has been known for their splendid technique on genre-mixing and elevate all sub-genres as a whole.

“Dream will come true if you keep on living.” Mark Jensen told the crowd.

The band have been referencing to historical and cultural events in their lyrics which makes it very philosophical in recording; whilst when presenting their music in live, it becomes a pure sonic appreciation which has given another dimension to their creation. Thank you Epica for an electrifying night and brings out the elegance of extreme metal.

Epica 以混合流派的高超技術而見稱，任何種類的音樂在他們手上都會有所提升，成為獨一無二的個體。

Mark Jensen 在演出中跟觀眾說：「若果你努力生活下去，夢想便會成真。 (Dream will come true if you keep on living.) 」